In the same way athletes are coached and mentored to improve performance, coaching in the workplace can be an effective tool for leaders and their teams to improve their skills and be at the top of their game.
In the uncertain and complex times we are facing, the importance of coaching in a work environment is at an all time high. At Inkling, we believe organisations and their employees can benefit from implementing a coaching practice in the workplace. And with a third of successful entrepreneurs saying they have turned to mentors to support their development, there’s never been a better time to consider adding coaching to your professional development and employee engagement processes..
What kind of impact can coaching have on the company’s success? What are the benefits of a coaching culture and is there a correlation to return on investment (ROI)? If you’ve asked these questions about implementing coaching in your organisation – read on to learn more.
In this article, we discuss what coaching looks like in a business environment. We outline the different types of coaching, summarise the benefits both individuals and organisations have to glean from investing in successful coaching and highlight the coaching and development opportunities available with us at Inkling.
What does coaching in the workplace look like?
Coaching in the workplace is a professional relationship that focuses on the steps to achieving the goals of the individual or the business as a whole. Coaching follows a journey of distributed learning which takes place over time and involves a tailored approach to each client’s objectives. On an individual level, coaching can equip leaders and their team members with the support, skills and mindset to achieve these cohesive goals.
Standalone vs embedded coaching
Standalone coaching is delivered as an independent, distance learning programme outside of the day to day business. This might look like an executive coaching, a group coaching session or a one to one session with a professional.
In isolation, standalone sessions can be effective coaching for individuals who seek support to drive growth and change. Often, businesses will implement coaching with a specific intention to uplift an individual’s effectiveness in the workplace or to manage specific career development.
Alternatively, embedded coaching consolidates mentoring into learning experiences. At Inkling, our research tells us that we are 3 times more likely to achieve personal insight and transformation when we are immersed in a space of supported growth, have goals and objectives to achieve and the impetus to drive measurable change.
This approach means desired learning outcomes are ‘baked’ into the learning experience, working to drive collective mindset and behaviour shifts – all of which achieve greater cultural alignment and cultural change. The impact of coaching within the context of learning has been shown to increase a person’s engagement, happiness and sense of purpose.
Inkling Insight: Coaching traverses the layers of inner, other and outer focus, all essential for the development of emotional intelligence or EQ competencies.
Why organisations need to implement leadership coaching
When we experience something empowering and positive, our research shows we are 6 times more likely to endeavour to create a similar outcome for others.
This is known as driving equity, the magic (and sometimes silent) ‘e’ in Diversity, Inclusion and Equality research. A commitment to, and a passion for coaching and what it achieves, breeds organisational capability and a strengths-based culture. It becomes a common language all employees at every level can use to engage and develop the workforce.
Inkling Insight: In a strengths-based culture, employees, managers and leaders choose to continually develop each team member’s potential, resulting in an engaged workforce and organic business growth.
Benefits of coaching in the workplace
Return on investment (ROI)
Investing in training programs can feel risky and many businesses feel the subjectivity of results isn’t worth investing in. However, investing in coaching and mentorship has proven to be effective. Survey data from 100 executives showed an average ROI of coaching was almost 6 times the cost.
Another study by the International Coaching Federation found that 68% of individuals who hired good coaches were able to make back their investment. Those who make a financial gain on their coaching can on average expect 3.44 times the amount spent.
Benefits for individuals
Expert corporate coaching can have a profound impact on individuals in their personal and professional lives offering employees a range of benefits in and outside of the office.
Coaching may give individuals the space to develop professional goals, learn about their working habits and reignite passion and love for their role. It also shows employees they are valued and may give them the confidence to excel in their job.
Leadership development
Research tells us that leaders (in particular, managers) have the greatest impact on employee engagement and attrition. Coaching is but one skill in the toolkit for overcoming this challenge. It is a leadership skill that can be learned and delivers its greatest return on investment once it is:
- Embedded within performance expectations for leaders
- Cultivated through ongoing professional development
- Coupled with managers having a high level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
One of the largest drivers of employee engagement in any organisation is those in a leadership position. The beauty of equipping leaders with coaching skills is that they don’t need to know everything to be an effective leader – they simply need to know how to empower those around them.
Inkling Insight: Approaching work from a viewpoint of individual and team strengths has a powerful and profound impact on success, for everyone. Leaders who are better equipped to recognise and uncover others’ strengths have significantly greater outcomes for the business and the people they lead.
Inkling’s approach to coaching
To deliver a tailored approach to each of our clients, we gather deep insight and data of every program to offer coaching and development backed by evidence. This data can be benchmarked across gender, industry, and seniority, as compared to best practice.
Our assessment approach delves beyond the purpose and impact of the programs, and well into the human experience. We measure shifts in emotional intelligence, confidence, self-awareness and resilience, psychological safety, well being, and motivation, amongst others.
Inkling’s methods for positive coaching include:
- Employing a positive psychology coaching process; drawing on Cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, self-compassion and solution-focussed coaching techniques.
- Focussing on the development and optimisation of personal strengths and not “fixing” weaknesses.
- Taking a balanced view of the client’s strengths and developmental areas.
- Creating a holistic approach towards development including personal growth outside of the organisation.
- Offering clients an inherent capacity to grow and develop.
- Empower clients to take ownership of their growth process.
- Conducting pre and post-program assessments.
- Conducting research in-house with a team of experts and benchmarking results across industry, leadership level and moments of impact, as compared to best practice.
These methods ground our coaching experience in the principles of positive psychology and behavioural science and we build client trust through authenticity, confidentiality and empathy. Our research tells us that these are vital elements to coaching outcomes and impact.
Get started with Inkling’s coaching and development programmes.
Coaching within a learning framework is 88% more likely to deliver a measurable impact on effective performance, than learning alone. If you want to learn more about how we provide personalised support for deep, sustained career growth through embedded coaching at Inkling, get in touch with us to discover our DEIB, Leadership and Capability Development solutions.
